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seforana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Violence, and Medical content
eemadeeberry's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Confinement, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
augie_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Grief, and Suicide
flashandoutbreak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Blood, and Confinement
chalkletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Despite being set in a single building, A Gentleman in Moscow doesn’t feel claustrophobic at all. It’s not that Alexander is untroubled by his limited freedom and reduced circumstances, because his actions make it clear that he is deeply affected by them. It’s more that Amor Towles’ prose maintains enough of distance from Alexander’s emotions to give the whole novel a very dreamlike feel. The plot, such as it is in the early sections, is centred around exploring and making the most of the environment and characters as they’re presented.
Both the novel and Alexander feel a little purposeless until Sofia makes her entrance, which is thematically appropriate. In some ways its a shame that Alexander’s purpose should be parenthood, which is hardly a surprising or unusual answer to the question of what a character should do to find meaning. It might have been more interesting to explore the question of what a character trapped in a hotel could do to create a life of purpose without the convenient adoption of a child.
Amor Towles’ characters are engaging and memorable, even if they mostly don’t feel as though they’re particularly connected to their social and political environment. With a few exceptions, most of the guests and employees feel as though they could’ve been met in a luxury international hotel in any country, rather than being specifically Russian. While the Russian revolution is the inciting incident, politics is otherwise very much kept in the background.
Most of A Gentleman in Moscow was gently enjoyable, but the ending did provide a few moments of exciting action. Watching Alexander’s plan come together was a very satisfying way to round off what had otherwise been a fairly sedate pleasure.
Moderate: Confinement and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Death
tamara_joy's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement
Minor: Abandonment, Death, Deportation, Grief, Medical content, War, Alcohol, Classism, and Suicidal thoughts
saara_ilona_muu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, War, Abandonment, Confinement, and Suicidal thoughts
el90's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Confinement and Suicide attempt
Minor: War
nadia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
The characters, the setting, the emotion, the sprinkles of humour, the history, the life lessons, and more!
A beautiful book!
(Warning: The book features spoilers for Anna Karenina, The Brothers Karamazov, and the film Casablanca. You'll get even more out of the book if you're familiar with the latter!)
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Gun violence
fluffernutterfriday's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt